Dream Web
by Yamino Tenshi 202
Summary: Sweethearts Week Prompt 2. Arthur is a writer, having moved to Columbia to escape stress back home. When he spares a spider and lets it go free, what will he learn about the strange legends of this new country?


9 February 2012 - 4:12 AM

Has anyone seen the movie THE FOURTH KIND? I woke up at around 3:33 am. I stayed in bed, but...

I was **scared**.

Anyway, here's my second entry for Sweethearts Week. And prompt...

**9th: Once Upon a Time**  
>Fic or art must feature aspects of fairy tales, legends, mythology, folklore, etc. Whether it's an AU storyline based on a legend, fairytale, or featuring magic, a canonverse piece featuring mythological creatures or England's magical friends, or whatever. Go wild!<p>

Rating: T

Warnings: Spiders :)

Note: Columbia - America

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><p>Dream Web<p>

* * *

><p>Twenty-six-year-old Arthur Kirkland turned to one of the pages in his local legends book. Since moving to Columbia, he had heard so many legends. Many were silly, such as the stories of Johnny Appleseed or Paul Bunyan and his blue ox Babe. What fascinated him were the Native legends.<p>

The one that caught his eye and had kept it for a week now was a Chippewa Legend; about a spider who created a dream-catcher for a woman who did not let anyone hurt him or his web.

The poem soothed Arthur, who had so many bad dreams while in London, after an enormous court case about the abuse his youngest brother (half-brother, actually) had been going through while staying with their father.

It wasn't too hard to take care of Peter, but, as a writer, he wasn't that used to be around people, which made him wonder why he stepped up to take the child until his mother could be relocated.

After that problem was solved, Arthur came to America, seeking peace.

He loved the words that reminded him of his own mother, dead when Arthur was four. They seemed like words she would whisper to him when he was fussy at night, like a lullaby.

_Sleep well sweet child  
>Don't worry your head<br>Your Dream Catcher is humming  
>Above your bed<em>

_Listen so softly  
>I know you can hear<br>The tone of beyond  
>Close to your ear<em>

_Love is alive  
>And living in you<br>Beyond all your troubles  
>Where good dreams are true<em>

He chuckled. Looking over to his wall clock, he saw the time nearing 9:45 a.m. He had to go interview a psychologist for accuracy on his latest book at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow so he'd better hurry to bed.

"Ah!" He cried out of reflex when he saw a spider come out from where he had taken the book off of the shelf. The arachnid itself shrank back, as though trying to hide itself so that Arthur didn't hurt it.

Arthur, calming down and gaining back his rationality, paused for a few moments. It wouldn't do any harm to let this spider live. After all, he could possibly get a dream-catcher out of it, right?

Chuckling, he said to the spider,

"Go on your way. You'll live just because I'm being nice." Arthur pushed his slight shock away as the spider moved away from the book's spot and climbed to rest on the book next to it.

The spider itself was not too different. It had a black body, only about two inches across so it wasn't _too_ big, but its four eyes seemed to have a tint of blue. Strange...

Arthur turned and left the sitting room to head on to bed.

"Good night, Spider."

Might as well return courtesy with some of his own.

The spider looked after him, patient.

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><p>Arthur awoke the next morning, clad only in boxers as it was fairly hot out here in Illinois during the summer. Before he opened his eyes, he noticed strange warmth next to his body. He hesitantly reached out and felt something hard, muscle?<p>

A sound from the muscled thing made him open his eyes and jerk away, sitting up immediately.

There was a man in his bed. A blond... attractive man...

The intruder opened his eyes, a cloudy blue gaze meeting only the warm sheets. As he sat up and balanced his upper body weight on his arms, Arthur could see that he wore a hooded sweater-jacket, half-zipped up, and jeans that were rather tight and showed off his firm arse-

He never said that, never **thought** that.

The blue-eyed blond turned to Arthur, tucking his legs beneath himself and sitting on his heels, the mattress squeaking. He smiled sleepily.

"Did you sleep well, sir?" On instinct, Arthur replied.

"Who the fuck are you?" The teenager blinked somewhat cutely (_No, Arthur! Don't give in!_) before realization came to his eyes, causing him to frown.

"I'm so sorry, sir! My name is Alfred F. Jones." Alfred bowed his torso in respect, having his lower body tucked beneath him, retraining him. Coming up again, he smiled at Arthur.

"Did you have good dreams tonight, sir? The dreams of you mother seemed to trouble you so…" He raised his hand to gesture to the space above Arthur's headboard.

Arthur turned to look and there was a dream-catcher, braided, woven with beads in a silver, tinsel-like thread.

Spider-web? His mouth fell open.

Alfred, not noticing the shock on the other's expression, spoke.

"I tried to make it like the ones I've seen at the store and in books." He turned his head, seeing Arthur's face, pausing to giggle before continuing.

"I liked the one in your book as well so I tried to make it like that one, too." He got onto his hands and knees and crawled over to the Briton, lifting a hand and closing the man's jaw.

Arthur felt his jaws meet and pulled back. God, the boy's eyes were the same as the-

"Spider?"

Alfred smiled and nodded his head energetically.

"That was me. You didn't kill me and I thought it would be nice to give you something." Alfred adjusted himself, putting his legs to the side and then setting his feet onto the floor, pulling his body erect.

"Not many people are like that," he drawled on, "not even Mammy or Papa." He frowned, as though there were some resentment held for those specific people.

Arthur stared at the man – boy, really. He was rather tall, a bit taller than Arthur, but his voice sounded so young, innocent still. He slowly came closer to his bed, turning so that he could sit next to the Spider.

"Alfred..." he said, hating the nervousness in his voice. He hated weakness in general.

"How are you a spider... and a person?"

Alfred shrugged his shoulders.

"I remember, when I was little, I could talk to spiders." He held his hands to his ears, not touching, as though they were kept from doing so by earmuffs.

"I would hear their voices. When I would close my eyes, I could see them as people, too. My parents did not see that as good. I was put into a basket and I remember hearing water around me. Some of the water spiders got onto the basket and told me that I was in the river."

Alfred closed his eyes. "They called out for help and all of a sudden, the water sounds were gone. The Great Water Spider came with her tusti bowl and carried me out of the river. I've been in her care ever since."

Arthur looked down and then laid back on his sheets. The Legend of the First Fire, was it? A Cherokee legend? The Water Spider had come to bring Fire to the people.

If Alfred was being taken care of by the Water Spider...

"Alfred, just how old are you?"

Alfred opened his eyes and splayed out his fingers, flexing and pointing them alternately as he counted.

"In your years, I'm about... 700 years old."

Arthur laid a hand on his face. A 700-year-old, on his bed. He didn't have any reason not to believe it, considering-

"Alfred, could you turn into a spider for me?"

"You don't believe me?" He could hear the pout in his voice.

"Please?"

Arthur heard nothing but then felt a strange tickling on his leg. He squirmed a bit, gasping as the tickling got worse and he began to laugh loudly and heartily. It climbed up his side and eventually ended on his chest.

Cautiously, Arthur sat up, seeing that the Spider stayed firmly on his chest. It didn't hurt at all to have him attached them and Arthur could see blue happiness – and hope – in those round orbs.

"_Do you believe me Arthur?"_

"Yes."

They just stared at each other for a bit longer.

"_Arthur. I like you. Lots." _He chuckled.

"I like you, too, Alfred."

"_Can we date? I can make you more pretty things with my web!"_ The voice that Arthur heard sounded so excited and hopeful. He turned to the Dream-catcher on the wall.

_Love is alive  
>And living in you<em>

"We can try."

His eyes opened wide as the Spider became a man on top of his body and soft, human lips pressed against his.

"I'm happy, Arthur!" Alfred's lips were curved into a bright smile.

Arthur smiled in like.

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><p>9 February 2012 - 3:49 PM<p>

I was going to make this angsty, but I'll do that later. :)


End file.
